


A Matter Of Affairs

by sendofflaurapalmer



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-13 19:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13577301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sendofflaurapalmer/pseuds/sendofflaurapalmer
Summary: in new york city, you have to learn to expect the unexpected.





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> set after michael was sent to new york by tommy // lower case intended

chapter one //

warehouses were not pleasant places to be at any time of the year, specifically during that of the winter. if the guttural screams that the wind made as it sweept through the open building were not enough to frighten you away from the business that was attended to here, the polar air would surely be a unattractive factor. yet somehow, michael gray found himself stood at the very entrance of the largest warehouse along new york's docking river, waiting for another arrival of the liquid poison his family sent over every week.

it wasn't even a matter of waiting for the boat to arrive, as it had moared by the side of the river some time ago, it was a matter of waiting for the imbeciles that boarded the boat to successfully unload it's contents onto the shore. they were, annoyingly, taking their precious time - and michael really did not want to have to get his suit dirty. 

his attention was directed away from the men fumbling around when a short, stout businessman seemed to hobble over towards michael, a clipboard held outstretched in his hand for the boy to sign. he did so with ease, only having to avert his concentration back to those unloading from the bay as a crash was heard, followed by raised voices as workers began laying the blame on one another without regards of the damaged goods at their feet. the noise only died down as the men noticed michael crouch down towards the crater of broken glass and cool liquid that now formed a pool around his shoes. a few of them began to scatter back to the boats, climbing on board before the peaky blinder showed his anger, whilst those that remained simply watched his movements with fear and anticipation.

instead of causing too much of a commotion, michael simply slammed down one of the last remaining bottles on the pile of shattered glass fragments, letting out a sharp scream for the workers to leave as he pressed his fingers against his temple. had it been any other day, he would have cursed at them, and possibly fired a few gun shots at both their feet and their boats, but he was far beyond 'too tired' at that moment in time. to the boy himself, it seemed as if he was at the point of being sleep deprived where he had forgotten what sleep even was. 

new york had not provided any comfort to him since he transfered at his cousin's command. there were women and a plentious supply of alcohol indeed, but nothing ever occured that made the united states feel like 'home' to michael. 

"stressful day?" came a deep voice from over a stack of barrels. michael looked over to where the sound came from to see a smartly dressed man stood in the doorway of the conjoining warehouse to his own. he wore an oddly tailored suit with a similar shirt to the one michael wore, except his collar was turned upwards, making his neck appear long and thin. his face itself was quite broad with a defined jaw and sunken cheekbones that matched the mysterious flicker in his eye. 

michael watched the figure of a man approach from where he had been stood, and he immediately recognised hin from times they had both attended the same balls in new yorks night life. he had always been surrounded by multiple women, none if which wore a wedding ring - which in this short encounter, michael had noticed the man wore - meaning not one of them was his actual wife. 

"i've seen you around," the man continued upon receiving no reply from the gray boy. he extended his hand out towards michael, a pleasant smile on his lips "i'm george barnes, by the way."

the other boy simply stared at george's outstretched hand, lifting a cigarette to his lips and lighting the toxic stick without even blinking. "michael gray."

george let out a soft chuckle that echoed throughout the now deserted dock. he had seen michael around town; most commonly in the bars of new york city, as welm as at the warehouses themselves. the boy was never short of a woman or two on his arm, and always wore the same cold, intense expression across his features. george had always wondered what caused his fellow businessman to be so emotionless, as if you could slaughter any man in front of him, and he wouldn't even bat an eyelid, or hitch his breathing for longer than a second. it was clear the boy had no significant other, as he wore no ring, and was always seen loitering around married women, taunting them away from their husbands to spend a night in the devil's abode. 

george had a wife - although he wasn't faithful to her. she was a cruel woman, significantly younger than george himself, yet somehow more demanding and high maintainance. he was lucky however, as her father was one of the richest men in new york, and every other man he passed in the street envied him. there was a time when the two of them had been in love, madly in love. they were initially an arranged engagement that had been agreed since they were young children, but feelings soon appeared and it was as if they were meant to be - that was until george realised the woman's true nature. whether she truly cared for him in the present was a secret that only she would every keep, yet he assumed she did not considering how she ignored his constant infidelity.

"you should join us next time we meet at the grand hotel." george spoke up, locking eyes with michael once again, who still kept a similar expression as before. "i am sure my wife will be enthralled to meet you."


	2. The Lifestyle

chapter two // one week later

the grand hotel in the heart of new york city was just as crowded as it ever was, with rich business men and their women friends pouring out of every doorway, speaking with liqour rolling off of their tongues. michael was accustomed to events like this by now; showing his face in a place that is far too expensive to afford more than two rounds of rum, making brief acquaintances with other men tommy shelby had connections with, before leaving with a different girl on his a and returning to the mansion where he was based. 

the boy stepped inside the building slowly, ignoring the crowds of drunken men and women who loitered around the table of the rich, laughing like maniacs at even the most unamusing jokes you could imagine. at the back of the room was the man he had reluctantly agreed to meet after their short encounter the week before - which had led to many others in the days that followed. george was lay across a plaid chair, multiple other businessmen dressed in luxury wear crowded around him - along with many women, too. the group all laughed simultaneously, raising their glasses slightly to accomadate the way their shoulders shrugged furiously as a result of their forced humour.

michael began to slowly walk over, quickly drawing the attention of a couple of girls dressed in long navy and teal dresses. the two moved to take his arms, therefore distracting george from his business talk to notice the boy's presence.

"michael!" he stood from his seat, moving and greeting his new friend despite the difficulty the two females at his arms caused in saying hello. "how nice of you to join us!"

the gray boy simply nodded and was escorted to a seat by the pretty women that had attatched onto him. the business talk re-engaged, and michael tried his best to act interested, yet the feeling of someone's eyes boring into the back of his head was a distraction. 

george was a lawyer, as michael had discovered, and judging by the clothes he wore, michael could tell he was a very succesful one, too. he was also clearly somewhat of a ladies-man - not that michael would ever complain as he was certainly enjoying the company of the two women who lurked around him. not to his surprise, he had yet to be introduced to whichever woman was george's wife. 

ever since their brief meeting at the docks the week before, michael had made it his business to find out more about the mysterious man who seemed to be at the heart of new york city's nightlife; and he had found out plenty about his wife, too.

george himself was a well established man within the law enforcement; they say he had never lost a case in his entire time of service. he was outgoing and extravagant, apparently the opposite of many of the men he worked with. 

"mr. barnes," a butler moved over, pulling michael out of his thoughts as he walked through the crowd "your wife is requesting your presence."

george let out a soft chuckle which the gray boy noted all too familiarly as something his cousin tommy often did when in a situation he didn't care about. "tell the old cow she can wait, we're busy."

he motioned over to michael with the hand that held his cigarette. the butler's eyes followed, briefly locking with michael's before he spun back around to address the man he clearly worked for. "sir, i would not usually pressure you if it weren't for the fact that i have reason to believe she is unwell."

"oh good. should i call the undertaker now or later?" in a cruel way that almost made michael's veins flood with anger, george sniggered. never before had michael heard a man talk about a woman so bitterly, and he was moments away from interjecting when george laughed once again at the horrified looks on his companions faces "i'm winding you all up, stop with the glum faces. if you'll excuse me ladies, i have some business to attend to."

just as george stood up to follow the butler through the crowd, he stopped and turned at an angle to michael "care to join? the missus will be pleased to meet you."

michael hesitated for a long moment. despite george's promise that he was just messing around, he couldn't help but feel as if the man's intentions were not entirely harmless. but nevertheless, he proceeded to stand and follow the two men out of the busy room - in that moment he would have probably done anything to escape the questions of business he was sure that would come from george's acquaintances. and it was when the butler led the two men up a long, winding staircase to a private quarter that it occured to michael that the reason he knew the name barnes was because it was above the hotel door - meaning the grand building they were stood in belonged to george and his wife. 

entering a large room where the butler waited outside, michael noted the view over the new york city skyline - only to be obstructed by a figure in a dark red dress sat on a platform by the glass wall that showed the outside wall. michael wasn't sure what was more disturbing, however, when the woman turned around; the quantity of jewellery around her neck, or the blood stains that covered her small hands.


	3. The Deal

chapter 3 //

"ah! there you are!" george exclaimed rather cheerfully as they walked into the room. "mr. garrett said you were feeling unwell?"

somehow, george hadn't noticed the piercing stare the woman - who michael assumed was his wife - was throwing in his direction. or at least he hadn't noticed it until it was too late, when she threw her body at his, her hands colliding with his chest in tightly balled fists.

"you bastard! you bastard! you absolute bastard!" the woman screeched, leaving michael stood very bewildered as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. from where she had moved across the room, a trail of blood had dragged along with her, and it was then that michael noticed the colours of her dress.

what he had initially thought to be a red dress, he had now noticed was actually cream. the red colour was caused by it's soaking in blood, that covered a majority of the apartment floor. 

"you promised me no one would get hurt! you promised!" the lady continued to scream against george's efforts to hold her still. michael was almost terrified by her outburst, yet her husband didn't seem phased in any way as he gripped her wrists so tightly her tanned skin turn white around his hold.

"darling," george began, kissing the palms of her blood-stained hands until she eventually gave up fighting and let out a broken sob "darling, it had to happen. they were going to ruin us."

michael soon realised that the initially well presented business george ran was no different to the one he was associated with back home - full of murder and betrayal, evident by the calm way the man approached this situation.

"you promised," the woman repeated once more, appearing to want to sound confident yet being betrayed by her voice as she appeared to break down on the spot "you promised you wouldn't make me hurt anyone." 

george let out a breathy sigh and helped the woman to sit down, blood immediately seeping into the couch from her dress. he stood up slowly, leaving her a writhing mess as he signalled for michael to follow him to the kitchen.

the two men escaped the room, george pouring two small glasses of branding and handing one to his friend, who downed it almost instantly as a result of the shock of the past five minutes.

"now you see michael," george began "my interest in your loneliness isn't the real reason i brought you here."

for the first time that night, michael spoke up as he poured himself another alcoholic beverage. "i've gathered."

"you see, my wife comes from a wealthy family;" the man continued, completely ignoring michael at this stage "which means she's always a target. and with my law company being rather prominent at the current moment in time, it would appear there are more men out to get us than usual."

the gray boy watched his new acquaintance with slight wariness, as he was almost sure that george was leading to something that would require michael putting his life on the line - nothing out of the ordinary then.

"i also know that your family's company needs a boost with it's popularity in america, and i'd be willing to give you that." michael felt his breath cut short as he waited for george's terms "in fact, i would provide men to run your dock, and do everything you require whilst you still receive the income, in return for your complete loyalty to, and protection of my wife."

michael had known that was coming, and within almost a second his mouth was running off ahead of him as he spoke "it's a deal."

he didn't know why he agreed to protect a woman he had never truly met, but something about the deal told him that he had the easy end of this. after all, how hard would it be to protect a girl?

the answer was, clearly a lot harder than he first anticipated.

george walked back through into the room, watching as the woman sat on the sofa tore her eyes away from the coffee table and looked up at the two men. he made his way in front of her and crouched down, taking her hands gently in his and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

"my darling, this is michael gray." the woman didn't look away from george as he spoke "he's going to take care of you."

as she didn't reply, george stood up and blatantly ignored how her hands automatically stretched out to tug him back, instead stepping forward to michael with a smug smile and saying "i'll let you take it from here." before disappearing our of the room and presumablg downstairs.

michael blinked repeatedly, processing what had just happened. george may had called this woman darling, but from how he left the room without a single word, michael inferred that most likely the word was meaningless to the man.

and now, here he stood. a blood covered woman he had not actually met yet sat in front of him, crying, and all he knew was he had to 'protect her'.

was he foolish to agree to this? what would tommy say if he found out his cousin had given his word for other people to man his pride and joy business?

taking a deep breath, michael turned back to the nameless girl on the sofa, finally taking in her appearance. she was covered in blood from the neck down, and had mid-length, curled brown hair that complimented her tanned skin nicely. if it weren't for her tear stained cheeks and puffy features due to her crying, michael was sure he would have also been overwhelmed by her beauty. but now as he stood staring at her fragile, bloody body, only one thought ran through his mind:

"we should probably get you cleaned up."


	4. The Intention

chapter 4 //

after running a bath in the oversized tub that stood in the middle of the bathroom, michael turned to face the girl who was stood silently in the corner. her chocolate eyes were fixed directly on the one slightly uneven tile, almost as if she wanted to look anywhere other than at the boy stood in front of her.

michael took a wary step forward, observing how she flinched but didn't break her gaze. he knew if he hesitated for any longer, he'd most likely back out on any sort of deal he had made with george, and the look on the girl's face told him that the last thing she needed right now was to be left alone with her husband. 

"do you want me to leave? i can call in a maid or something--only if you want of course." the gray boy stuttered, watching as for the first time that night the girl's expression twisted into a shy smile.

"no--no, stay." she finally spoke, her voice being a great amount softer than what it was earlier. almost as if michael's features showed he didn't believe her shaky words, she added in a whisper a quick "please."

michael nodded slowly and began to walk behind her, his legs not quite supporting his weight as he got closer and closer to the small girl, his hands automatically before stretching out to reach the zip of her dress. just as he began to unzip the back of the garment, he found himself being unable to move as he looked her in the eye through the mirror reflection.

he stumbled to find words for a moment "i--sorry. i should probably know your name at least before i help you out."

the brunette smiled sadly to herself, subconsciously lifting her hands to cover her nearly bare chest from where he dress had begun to slip. "dorothy. my name's dorothy." she said politely, offering him a reassuring glance as michael nodded and fully unzipped her dress until she was left in just her undergarments and a tight corset that looked like it was permanently carved into her skin with how tight it was tied at the back.

michael tried to avoid looking at her reflection in the mirror, instead focusing on the strings that held the structured centre piece in place as he attempted to loosen what was almost a torture device enough to allow her to slip out of it. "for the love of--" he cut himself off as he battled with the knot "tell your maid to tie this looser next time or you'll end up with no ribs."

as if the fact didn't phase her, dorothy watched him through the mirror and blurted "george ties it for me."

michael had just untied the ribbon when her words made him stop what he was doing, instead looking up at her through the mirror. as their eyes locked, he made a point of letting the corset slip around from her waist and pressing his finger gently against one of the red indents it had caused in her skin. the barnes girl shivered slightly, attempting to ignore his judgement by busying herself with stripping her bloody undergarments from her body and standing to face her own battered reflection in the mirror.

after realising he had been staring, michael politely held out his arm to her, allowing her to take it as he assisted her over to the bathtub. when stood she appeared strong, but moving from one side of the room to the other revealed the pain she was still experiencing as her legs seemed to buckle underneath her. michael wondered what had happened to cause her so much strain.

physically, other than the marks caused by her outfit and her weak legs, the woman seemed okay, but michael recalled mr. garret, the butler, informing george she was 'unwell'. he had heard of cases of people experiencing illnesses that existed within the brain, although they were very uncommon and those few people were most often written off as being crazy. he considered that maybe that was what the butler was hinting at? no. no, she seemed perfectly fine. 

as the girl climbed into the large bath tub, michael took a seat on a stool set out beside, watching as the dried blood slid off her naked body and merged into the warm water. her attire however, discarded on the floor, was completely overcome with the horrible substance that michael was no stranger to. 

soon, the boy's curiousity got the better of him, and he found himself leaning over the bathtub from his seated position and asking, "what happened?"

dorothy's entire body visibly tensed at the question, and her dark eyes shot over to michael as she examined his features for a sign of his intentions. after a long pause of wary consideration, she let out a breath.

"i guess it's only fair that you know, if you're going to be taking care of me--" she began casually, but her expression turned cold as she stared at michael "which, by the way, i don't need. i'm a grown woman, i don't require a babysitter."

michael chuckled softly, trying not to find too much amusement in her cruel gaze as he was sure she wouldn't share his entertainment. "sorry--i'm sure you don't. continue."

"i assume you've figured out that my husband's business isn't entirely glamourous." michael nodded in answer, but didn't dare admit it was nothing out of the ordinary for him. "well, whilst he was off partying with every woman he could lay his hands on, i was dealing with two very unhappy clients of his."

she turned to stare straight ahead, almost as if embarassed by her own actions.

"i hate getting into dangerous situations, and george knows that. i get this increasing sense of fear, and then suddenly i can't control the way i'm thinking and i'm--" she cut herself off, realising her mistake of admitting this all to a stranger "anyway, one of the men lunged at me, claiming that if george wasn't going to give him what he wanted - which i still don't understand, he'd take me instead."

michael nodded, not taking his eyes off of her. "but surely, george would have helped you out, right?"

dorothy almost cackled, throwing her head back to look at the ceiling. "maybe. if it hadn't have been him who'd offered me up in the first place."


	5. The Attack

chapter 5 // one week later

in just one short week since the event in the bathroom, michael had scarcely seen dorothy. he didn't know why this disappointed him, but for some strange reason he felt a burning desire to protect her. 

he had met up with george multiple times to discuss terms and conditions, and each time they had met michael had noted that the man looked progressively worse. in fact, when they had met the previous morning, there was a large gash near his eye that looked like it had been done the night before. 

currently, michael stood in the grand elevator on the way to the top floor of the hotel where he would meet dorothy. this was the first time he had been officially working for george, rather than just on a matter of word. and something felt strangely different with there being a contract binding all this together.  

the elevator door opened and michael felt his breath hitch at the back of his throat as he saw her stood there, in nothing but her underwear with her back turned to him. it wasn't her body that caused him to forget to breath, as he had seen that before, but rather the bruises that extended down her spinal chord.

"dottie--i mean, dorothy," he began, ignoring how she flinched in shock before turning over her shoulder to glance at him with a smile at the accidental nickname "what happened?"

"oh," she spoke simply, stepping into her nightgown that was laid out by the roaring fire "the bruises? horse riding incident. you wouldn't believe i'd still go after all the times that bloody mare had thrown me off."

michael nodded slowly, only somewhat believing her story as he stepped through into the room and removed his jacket. he placed it on the arm of the chair and followed her to where she had taken a seat on the large couch. it was clear the two of them were alone, minus the butler stood out in the corridor, as the house was eerily silent.

deciding not to push the matter, the gray boy instead asked "you ride?" 

dorothy's eyes lit up at the subject, and she leaned forward closer to where he sat across from her. she crossed her legs enthusiastically on the thin couch, holding onto the backboard for balance as she continued in a happier tone "yes! i have ever since i was a little girl."

noticing how happy she became when talking about this, michael decided to keep the topic flowing for a moment longer "i love horses. my cousin tommy--who i work for--is interested in racehorses."

"i've never been to the races," dorothy began, her eyes now opened wide in awe "i'd love to, but george says it's dangerous."

michael accidentally let out a chuckle at this, remembering the few times he had been dragged into going; they had always ended in someone getting murdered "unfortunately, i have to agree with your husband on this one."

she let out a small laugh, instantly covering her mouth to hide her childish giggles from michael's intense stare. not that he would stop her, there was a strange spark across her features that suggested to the boy that she never got chance to talk about her passions in company of any others, so he persisted in their conversation.

"thomas--my cousin--owns racehorses; good ones too." he spoke simply, leaning back against the sofa as he became more comfortable in dorothy's company "he does a lot actually, alcohol, racing, betting: all sorts."

just as dorothy went to reply, the phone that sat on the counter begin to ring, its soundwaves vibrating across the marble surface. she went to stand and answer, but michael recalled something in his contract and put his hand on her chest, gently pressing her back into the couch as he went to greet the caller himself.

"hello?" he spoke as he answered "who is this?"

there was no reply for a brief few seconds, just the sounds of heavy breathing, until a voice loudly replied "hans triemar."

unfortunately, the man's raised tone was clearly purposeful, as dorothy let out a gasp and stumbled backwards from where she had stood up after michael pushed her down. 

she began to whisper something incoherent, and michael realised the man on the other end had hung up, so that all that could be heard was the feedback of the phone lines. watching as she backed into the wall, michael slammed the phone down and ran over to where she was slouching and gasping for breath.

"dorothy? dorothy what's wrong?" michael had never seen this before. it was as if the girl had forgotten how to inhale as she melted into his body, her eyes flickering shut and opening wide once again. "dorothy!"

he was becoming frantic as he helped her to the sofa, her chest rising and falling at a rate that was surely not humanly possible. she gripped tightly onto the collar of his jacket, as if the fabric was the one thing keeping her between life and death whilst michael watched in complete shock. he had only ever heard stories about this type of thing, never witnessed it first hand.

this was what everyone meant when they warned him she was unwell, as george had mentioned multiple times that week. yet, for a boy who had never witnessed this before, michael felt it was something deeper than her being 'unwell'. as the girl finally began to catch her breath, she pressed her damp forehead against his shoulder as she let the final few tears slip from her eyes. 

michael placed his hand on the small of her back, pulse still racing at what he had just seen. through his frantic want to call george and ask him what to do, he was able to quietly soothe the girl until they fell into an awkward silence, only the sounds of their quick breathing engulfing the air. 

he had a strange feeling that calling george for advice would be no help at all, and anyway, he appeared not to need help when he glanced down to see that reason dorothy was now so still was because she had fallen into a light slumber with her head still on michael's shoulder, and her hand's gripped to his collar in a way that was almost begging for protection.

and that was exactly what michael would give her.


	6. The Explanation

chapter 6 // three days later

dorothy hadn't mentioned the incident since it had happened, and michael sought this as a sign that she didn't wish to talk about it. he hadn't wanted to bring it up then, and he certainly wouldn't now whilst he was watching the girl smiling widely whilst greeting a young stallion in it's stable.

the horse allowed her to move forward to wrap her arms around it's long neck, only nipping at the shoulder of her trench coat before relaxing once again as she ran her manicured nails along his tangled mane. from where michael stood gently caressing a piebald filly across the stable range, he could see how happy dorothy had become simply by the way her eyes glowed whenever they caught the light. 

almost as if the young horse michael stood by could sense his gaze had been fixed on the girl for too long, it gave him a small nudge with it's muzzle that knocked him out of his trance. looking back the animal, he couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips. under her urging gaze, he continued to stroke her soft fur with a pleased look on his features "jealous, ey girl?"

the filly let out a satisfied neigh that caught the attention of dorothy from across the room. she glanced over with a wide smiling, her eyes connecting with michael's as she spoke. "she likes you."

michael laughed quietly "she's beautiful." he couldn't help the way his eyes flickered from the creature to dorothy as he spoke "what's--what's her name?"

"lady." she replied, smiling at michael's interest "or 'little lady' for when we intend to race her." 

michael raised an eyebrow "you want to race her?"

dorothy nodded in reply, letting out a slightly annoyed huff as she led the stallion out of it's stable, tying it up along a wooden post in the centre of the barn. "i do. she'll be my fourth racehorse--along with colton here." she paused to gently pat the black stallion's back "i've never had a loser. although that may change now i have to enlist a new trainer."

"you don't have one?" michael questioned

"we did." she stated simply, looking over at the gray boy with blank eyes "until george killed him."

"oh." michael didn't want to question that topic, knowing that dorothy's reaction to violence were never good. instead, he pressed on the first issue that had arose "i could contact my cousin, if you'd like? the one with an interest in racehorses? he knows plenty trainers all around--and i'm sure he'd be willing to take an overseas trip to see this beauty." he watched as dorothy's expression changed from emotionless to deep in thought "when do you plan on racing her?"

"not until the next main season, but that's only a few months away." dorothy began, moving until she was sat on a stool where she could lift the stallion's back leg until it's hoof was exposed for cleaning "i don't expect her to win at first. i'll most likely enter her in a race with colton, just so we can still get a winner and give her a trial--but nevertheless just training one to place above the bottom two in such a short time will be difficult."

michael nodded, leaving the filly's side as she stretched her head forward to reach him. he walked around to stand in front of the stallion tied to the post, gently stroking his muzzle whilst dorothy cleaned his hoof, her hand holding gently onto the animal's lower leg to stop it from kicking. "i'll speak to tommy, see what i can do."

dorothy placed the horse's leg down, going to move onto to next whilst michael continued to stroke it's silky black coat. "tell me more about him." she spoke "you mention him a lot, i want to know more about where you came from."

and so michael did. he told the girl everything--from where he found out who he thought was his mother, actually wasn't, right up to the reason tommy shelby had sent him to new york city. of course, he missed out any explicit mention of murder. dorothy gave occasional nods, or commented on things she didn't quite understand, and by the time his story was over, she had finished cleaning the filly's hooves and was stood up with a brush in her hand.

after the conversation died down, and dorothy had began to gently brush the stallion's fur, michael decided to ask something that had been on his mind for the past few days. he wasn't sure if it was sensible, but he couldn't stop his mouth and before he knew it, the words had slipped out. "who's hans triemar?"

dorothy visibled tensed as her actions faultered for a moment, before picking back up. she daren't look michael in the eye as she spoke, despite the way her voice betrayed her to sound weaker than she clearly intended "j-just an old business partner of george's."

"why did--why did that scare you?" was scare the right word? michael hadn't wanted to press the matter, but for some unknown reason, he did anyway. 

the young brunette let out a shaky sigh, glancing quickly over her shoulder before tossing the brush in the case. she moved to sit on a stool near michael's as she continued "george and hans fell out of favour a long time ago." her pitch was slightly higher than usual and her gaze fixed to the floor of the barn "they were friends, and then hans did something that my husband could never forgive."

"what?" michael asked eagerly, not realising how interested he sounded in the subject.

dorothy took a breath "he--he tried to kill me."

the gray boy stared at her blankly "oh." 

"this was when george still loved me, of course." michael went to interject, but dorothy simply shook her head and cut him off "you don't have to defend him, i'm not stupid."

michael sighed loudly, noticing dorothy's breathing getting quicker. in fear of another thing happening like that in the apartment, he quickly reached over and grabbed her hand.

"hans was always--strangely obsessed with me. and one night he tried to make a move." she took a long, deep breath "i pushed him away, telling him no. but no woman had ever turned him down before. so, outraged, he tried to put me in my place."

a moment of silence passed, and michael could feel how clammy her hand had become.

"george caught him, of course, and the two fell out." she sighed "but then george found interest in other female partners, and stopped caring about me. i learnt more about his company, and when it caused me those attacks he called me out as being crazy. then i tried to question him on his affairs and he--" she stopped herself, glancing over at michael who was watching her intently "he hit me. for the first time. that was where our marriage began to fall apart."

realising she was going off the initial topic, dorothy quickly fixed herself "anyway. we argued more, until i threatened to tell my father that george wasn't the man i thought he was. but of course, george gets a majority of his funds from my family's rich history, so he tried to show me that he was stronger. and he did that by making amends with hans." letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, she continued "hans was colder than i remembered, and he wasted no time in reminding me that i was powerless compared to him. george and he used me as a form of entertainment, as well as the multiple girls they brought back from their dalliances at clubs and the hotel we live above."

michael was beginning to think that was the end of the story, when dorothy added one more thing that made his blood boil when picturing the scene in his head.

"one night i was left with hans, and he made a comment about my dead mother, so i--i lunged at him, not really thinking." she closed her eyes "and i haven't seen him since that day, not since he--he.."

and almost as if michael had been there, he didn't need her to finish that sentence to know what the man had done.


	7. The Introductions

chapter 7 //

dorothy sat patiently on top of the desk michael was currently sat behind. although george was helping him out with workers, michael still had to do much of the official paperwork, and had thought it safer if he took the girl along with him.

she was currently reading through the newspaper, occasionally repeating something to michael who would satisfy her with a quick comment on the article, or sometimes ask her to repeat what she said as he wasn't fully paying attention. nothing too interesting had occured since they had arrived there--not that either of them minded.

dorothy had begun to feel safer when in michael's company, so much so that every night when george arrived home and the gray boy left she felt as if something was missing for the rest of the night until he arrived at seven sharp the next morning. and michael was beginning to find a lot of pleasure in spending time with the girl as well. they spend a vast majority of their time at the stables, where he and dorothy would care for the young horses, and michael had even started to ride the young filly, lady. it was dorothy's suggestion as she claimed to have noticed a bond between the two. her gamble was clearly paying off, as well, as lady was beginning to adjust to a more physical workout that involved a rider--something she needed to get used to if she were to be a racehorse. 

as for the trainer michael had promised; he contacted tommy the very same day and told him news about the company, and what michael had agreed with george barnes. tommy seemed rather impressed that michael had been able to find a way to run his end of the company in a stable way, and had promised he would send his trainer--may--over soon. he had also mentioned that a visit from himself and michael's mother, polly, may also be in order shortly. michael had told dorothy this, who seemed rather excited at meeting those who he was involved with back home.

the dockyard was quiet today, as there were no expected arrivals from england, so the only men swarming about were stock counters and organisers ensuring the warehouse was in pristine condition. there was certainly a chill in the air, however, and even with her thick, burgandy trench coat, dorothy shivered in the breeze drifting through the office.

she had long since put the paper down, and was now stood, wandering around the small room whilst michael worked. her immature instincts washed over her as she puffed a breath and watched it form a cloud in front of her in the cold day's air. to say she was bored would be an understatement. michael had been busy working, and had barely paid any attention to her since their arrival, his fingers tapping away quickly at the type.writer. the sound was quite therapeutic when you heard it for a short period--not after three hours of the same, constant typing.

"bored?" michael hummed, finally acknowledging her childish antics, yet still not looking up from the typewriter. 

dorothy didn't reply as she was fixated on a figure moving outside the office door. the silhouette soon multiplied as two people--one man and one woman--began to move towards the office, causing dorothy to move backwards and watch the door in anticipation. 

dorothy only caught the end of the conversation as the door swung open "-know i can take care of myself, right?" the female spoke, her tone well-mannered and brisk. 

she had short brown hair curled neatly around her jawline, and a hat above her head that matched her jacket. next to her stood a handsome, older man with sunken features that reminded dorothy awfully of a skeleton-like figure with an extremely defined facial structure. even had she been half blind, she most likely would have noticed his eyes as they were a piercing blue, almost as if the colour of the sky itself had been placed into two orbs.

michael stood up upon their entry, and his mouth stretched into a wide smile that flashed across his entire face. the two men jeered at each other, michael moving forward to quickly greet the man, before turning and pressing a kiss to the woman's cheek. for the few minutes that followed, the three conversed as if they were long friends, which led dorothy to believe they had known each other in england.

it was then that the older man with the icy blue eyes noticed dorothy stood by the window, and his smile returned in a rather threatening way that she was unable to decipher. nevertheless, he gave a curt bow before speaking "you must be mrs. barnes." his speech had a rough emphasis that hinged on the end of every word, and his accent was a lot thicker than michael's "i must say that michael never mentioned how breathtaking you are." 

trying her best not to roll her eyes, dorothy returned his half-hearted smile and placed her hand in his now outstretched palm, allowing his to press a kiss to her knuckles. "please, call me dorothy." 

"flattery will get you nowhere, tommy." the woman spoke up, stepping to the man--tommy's side--and addressing dorothy with a much friendlier gaze "may carleton. it's nice to meet you, michael says you have a filly?"

dorothy glanced over at michael, who was leant against his desk. "may's the trainer i told you about." she nodded in reply and gave may a quick smile "and this is tommy, i think i've mentioned him before?"

"once or twice." dorothy turned her attention back to may, a grin now plastered across her face "yes. she's around one and a half: thoroughbred, of course."

may's face lit up at this "wonderful! i'll be staying in new york till racing season--courtesy of tommy, so i'll have plenty of time to spend with her. that is, if you want my help."

the american girl nodded repeatedly, somewhat excited to have another woman around. michael was now stood with them, the same smile that they shared also evident on his features. he and tommy discussed for a while longer, as did dorothy and may, before the two travellers decided to go and check in to their accomodation--which just so happened to be the hotel that dorothy's husband owned (meaning she had naturally offered to lessen the price on their stay, and tommy had graciously declined; claiming that it was important he supported ally businesses).

after they left, and it was just michael and dorothy again, things dropped eerily silent. dorothy was still stood by the window, and hadn't noticed michael's gaze was fixed intently on the side of her face until she caught his eye and felt a shiver ran down her spine.

"i hope you don't mind me setting this up. tommy wanted to travel to check on his business anyway, may tagging along was my suggestion." michael finally spoke up, wanting to break some of the sudden and unexplainable tension. 

dorothy shook her head "it'll be nice to have some female company after all." and without thinking, the brunette walked over to the boy and pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek "thank you."


	8. The Party

chapter 8 //

it seemed that all of new york city had gravitated to the grand hotel for jazz night, as its halls were bursting at the seams with rich businessmen and their many lovers. music pounded throughout the venue, couples swaying drunkenly to the sounds. 

michael was sat with tommy in the small back room that george often resided in with his cronies. tommy, much like michael, had taken an unusual disliking to george the moment they met, and that had only been furthered when the man caught george verbally disrespecting his wife under his breath--something tommy was not a fan of.

dorothy herself was sat on the arm of her husband's chair, a cocktail in her hand and his hand on her thigh. michael had made a unintentional mental note of her appearance that night, and how she looked significantly different; almost as if she had tried to impress the man she sat with. it was no secret that she was a beautiful woman, neither michael or tommy could deny this. and her elegance was only enhanced by the charcoal dress she wore, the sparkling jewlery hanging from her neck complimenting her lightly tanned skin. 

despite his hand being pressed to his wife's knee, george had made no objection to speaking to, and admiring every woman that passed. dorothy had pretended not to notice, but on one particular occasion, when the man pulled a blonde closer, her hand that held her glass faultered, and the object shattered on the ground. george had opened his mouth to snap at her, but hadn't had the chance as tommy stood from his seat the moment the man made any sign of retaliation 

"dorothy!" he exclaimed, forcing his gaze in the woman's direction "how about a dance?"

the two englishmen tried their best to ignore the way george's hand gripped tightly down on dorothy's leg, and were extremely relieved when the younger girl agreed. she stood and moved over to take tommy's hand, the two of them exiting the small corner and into the main section of the hotel, where many others danced around in their drunken glory.

as they came to a standstill, tommy spun to place one hand on dorothy's waist, the other still in her hand, as they began to move to the same rhythm. 

there was silence between them for a moment, before tommy asked "does he hurt you?"

dorothy was quite taken aback by the question. she had never had another man explicitly ask her that, and the pressure of what to reply caused her heart to race as she felt another wave of panic rushing over her.

the blue eyed man could tell his mistake, and his hand moved higher on her waist, his other one finding the way to the back of her neck "hey--it's alright. you don't have to answer.."

she nodded slowly, doing her best to catch the breath she had lost in momentary panic. tommy pressed the hand on her neck with a gentle force that encouraged her to rest her forehead against his chest for that moment being. she did so, allowing a moment to relax in tommy's arms before she had to return to her husband.

if only she had known how much trouble that moment of comfort would have caused her. 

-

around midnight, george decided that he and dorothy should leave. by this point, a majority of the guests had left anyway, and it was only those with a vast alcohol consumption that remained, enthusiastically chatting to 'old friends' who they had only known for that night.

as george began saying his goodbyes, dorothy stood quietly by herself, not necessarily wanting to converse with her husband's friends and lovers. she gave a shy smile to those that looked in her direction, but nothing more.

tommy made the first move, hustling around the crowd to meet the small girl at the back. he pressed a quick kiss to her temple as a goodbye, then looked her straight in the eye "i'm on the second floor. may's in the room next to me. come there if anything happens, okay?" 

dorothy nodded subtly, offering a smile as he stepped aside to allow michael through. the gray boy had been distant from her that night for a number of reasons. an obvious was that he was anxious what issues it may cause with george if he were to be too invasive, but also because he found himself with a strange burning in the pit of his stomach every time he looked in her direction. of course, she was attractive. michael had always thought that. but tonight he felt something more, something he couldn't explain.

pushing those thoughts to the back of his head, he leant forward to kiss her cheek; to his suprise dorothy instead lunged towards him in an embrace. perhaps it was out of fear, as the hug almost screamed 'don't leave me', and michael couldn't help but wrap his arms tightly around her small figure, not caring about the condescending glare george was surely sending in their direction.

her arms became weak, and the hug turned almost pleading as it furthered. dorothy buried her face into the crook of michael's neck, not caring about any residue she may leave from her makeup as all she needed was to feel a moment of safety.

and maybe out of his own fear, or the desire to simply see her again, michael promised that he would go to her flat once everyone was asleep.


	9. The Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning / descriptions of violence/abuse

chapter 9 //

michael kept his promise. he stayed downstairs in the bar until the only people left were a young bartender, a few drunk men, and himself. as they began to file out, the clock struck three in the morning, and he finally hurled himself off the bar stool, pushing his half full glass closer to the edge of the bar. he hadn't been able to find joy in alcohol since dorothy had left with george, in fact he had barely been able to finish a mouthful without feeling sick to his stomach. the worry was eating him alive, and it took a lot of will power not to follow the couple seconds after they initially left.

now, however, he made his way up to the top floor, greeting the butler who stood outside the apartment. mr. garrett seemed relieved to see michael, which only made his stomach churn more. 

nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he walked into that room.

his wildest fears were confirmed, when the second he turned the corner to the sitting room, he was met with the angered face of george barnes, a rather dishevelled dorothy lay on the floor below him. her already bloodied hands were held up in front of her face, her eyes scrunched shut in a mixture of fear and pain. across her cheek was a rather large and unmissable red mark from impact, that would certainly bruise tomorrow, and her small arms were already covered in various bruises, marks and cuts of different shapes and sizes.

george didn't notice michael at first, and chose to shout something incoherent at the woman on the floor below him, but soon his eyes travelled to the doorway and his anger turned to embarassment. the man cleared his throat and looked between michael and dorothy, letting out a swift cough and stepping forward to his wife to help her up. his anger may have melted away upon realisation, but her fear had not as she flinched backwards, her back slamming into the sofa as she realised she was cornered. 

noticing the predicament he had put himself in, george stepped back from dorothy with his hands held in surrender. even his own stomach lurched when he saw the girl's blood on his hands. the shock of his own actions caused his defined exterior to faulter, and he quickly grabbed his jacket off a nearby coatstand and rushed out the main door.

michael let him go. he didn't want to, but he was frozen to the spot with horror and he found himself repeating the scene in his head. he was only broken out of his thoughts when he heard the unfortunately-familiar sound of dorothy gasping for breath. 

the woman was moving frantically, grabbing at the floor so much that she lost her sighting and knocked into the coffee table. a few ornaments balanced on top went flying, smashing into fragments on the floor and startling michael into reality.

at the mixture of sounds, he shot forward, clambering over the broken shards of glass amd porcelain so that he could pull the fragile girl into his arms. she whimpered and jumped, clearly not knowing he was even there in the first place, but the recognisable scent of his aftershave caused her hands to automatically curl around his suit sleeves. 

michael could feel her racing heartbeat against his chest as he gripped her small body close to his, the blood rushing through his veins deafening him to anything other than her quiet sobs. 

the gray boy carefully took her hand, running his thumb across one of the bleedy cuts engraved into her palm before pressing a kiss to the bloodied area. he didn't know what came over him to make him do it, but the short second of normality that broke out between them at the action was worth it. 

dorothy's cries had slowed the longer she was in his touch, and her breathing had returned to normal. she allowed the hand that was still gripping his clothing to loosen, as her frail body almost slippepd into his lap. michael didn't mind, instead he moved his shaking hand to run fingers through her slightly tangled hair.

"what's wrong with me?" she whispered, her voice coming out as weak "w-why am i like this?"

michael didn't know what he could say to make her feel better, because he truly didn't understand what she was going through, so he slowly hooked his hands around her waist and moved her gently off of his lap and onto the floor. for a moment, as he stood and disappeared, dorothy thought he was about to leave her, but he came back with a bottle of alcohol and a clean rag.

sitting back down, the boy cracked off the cap of the bottle and poured some of the substance onto the cloth, saying with a sad smile "this might hurt."

after receiving a small acknowledgement from dorothy, he placed it on a bleeding cut on her forehead, watching as blood soaked through the white fabric. dorothy winced but allowed michael to continue cleaning the wound. he hadn't spoken about what he had seen, which she was grateful for, as at this moment she didn't have the guts to lie and say she was fine with it. 

sometimes george got angry--very angry. but that wasn't who he was and dorothy wanted to try her hardest to convince herself that it was okay, and she still loved him. but ever since the  boy with the charming smile and sweet accent walked into her life, she wasn't sure if she did anymore.


	10. The Aftermath

chapter 10 //

for the next hour, neither of them said more than a sentence to the other. they sat quietly on their floor, arms tangled around the opposite's bodies. dorothy's arm had found it's way across michael's waist, her head lay on his shoulder as she breathed in a steady pattern. her eyes were closed, and although she wasn't in a full slumber, michael didn't dare wake her due to what she had been through earlier in the night.

the sun was beginning to rise, and michael couldn't help but stare down at the girl and wonder what she must have been like before she wound up in this situation. descriptions he had read about her didn't match the woman he knew. articles from the previous year slated her as 'cruel' and 'selfish', but michael knew a very different woman. he wondered what it was she had done to create these opinions of her--or what had happened to change her to the weaker, yet kinder woman he now knew.

as she shuffled in his embrace, he made the decision to wake her before the clock struck five. 

"dottie;" he whispered, not bothering to correct himself from the nickname as he shook her shoulder lightly "dottie.. wake up, you should go to bed."

dorothy's eyes fluttered open, a momentary look of disorientation before she finally registered what was going on and sat up by michael's side. michael clambered to his feet and held his hands out for the small girl, who gladly accepted and allowed him to pull her up until they were stood facing each other.

dorothy watched michael's features for a moment. she had never noted just how attractive the boy was, especially at this time. his eyes were slightly bloodshot from a lack of sleep, and there was an array of stubble dotting his chin. subconsciously, she let her hand stretch out to the collar of his shirt, where her makeup had stained the white fabric. her fingers rested at the very edge, gently brushing against the exposed skin of his neck and making michael shiver. 

the girl smiled at the reaction, her hand moving fully so that it was resting on his neck and the lower part of his jaw. michael couldn't help but watch her as her own chocolate brown eyes scanned every inch of his face. there was a strange sensation bubbling in the lower pit of his stomach only being furthered by the feeling of dorothy's warm breath against his cheek.

michael raised his hand to cover hers, his demeanor suddenly changing as it occurred to him the way he was being made to feel by a woman like dorothy. his hand lifted her palm gently away from his jawline, allowing their hands to fall by their side as he blew out a puff of cool air in confusion.

"dorothy.." he began in a whisper, wanting to plead with her to stop making him feel like this, but the words couldn't escape his throat.

despite the image in his sight of george and dorothy placed proudly over the fireplace top, michael couldn't help the feeling that overcame him as her finger tips brushed over his from where their arms hung limp. it was like a bolt of electricity had shot through his veins at such a simple contact, and before he could process what he was doing, he had the woman pressed firmly against the brick wall and his mouth met hers. 

from the moment their lips connected, he felt every thought of her husband evaporate into the air along with any hope of stopping. dorothy moved one of her hands to the back of his neck, pulling him impossibly closer so that their bodies became tangled against the wall. michael's allowed his hands to roam her waist, skimming every dip in the fabric where her curves came through, and carefully tugging on every frill on her dress in a desperate attempt to tear it off her body. 

after a lifetime of kisses being pressed to each other's necks, and lips, and collarbones, dorothy pushed their bodies backwards until michael fell down onto the sofa, automatically pulling her onto his lap. she wasted no time in helping his hands find the zip on the back of her dress, which michael understood as permission for him to eagerly rip the garment open and help her climb out of it--all whilst only breaking their kiss once. michael knew this was wrong, but for some godforsaken reason he was unable to stop as he small, battered hands found their way to his shirt, hastily unbuttoning it so that his bare chest was exposed in an instant.

and although neither understood what the consequences of their actions would be, they couldn't help but find comfort in each other's longing touches that carried them through the rest of that night.


	11. The Change

chapter 11 //

to say that things had changed between michael and dorothy in the past week was an understatement. neither had spoken to, or even looked at the other. michael had become colder and distant, and despite the evident heartache it was causing dorothy, he chose to ignore it all. he even began to ignore what george was doing to the woman, and had found himself spending more time around the man--most likely out of his own guilt and desire to act as if everything was 'normal'.

guilt. bloody guilt; that was what was eating away at the gray boy slowly. he had distracted himself quite well throughout the days: dicussing business with george; going over company expansions with tommy; speaking to his mother on the phone, and he had even gone as far to clean his shoes at least three times per day just so that the events of the week before were off his mind.

it was at night when he felt that all too familiar pang of loneliness, where it finally occured to him how complete he had felt spending time with the young woman, the one with the neatly curled brown hair, enchantingly tanned skin and chocolate brown eyes you could find yourself staring at for days. 

he remembered when he had walked into the room that night, and how his heart dropped at the sight of the young girl injured at the hands of her own husband. these thoughts only brought on more torrents of guilt, and the constant wonders of what the man had done to her in between then and now. 

luckily, for him, dorothy had been bed ridden for the time since with what george referred to as a 'passing illness', so michael hadn't had to face her, despite tommy's pressures.

thomas shelby had become quite fond of the girl, repeatedly reminding michael of his approval in hopes that he would visit her. when he refused, claiming to have something to do, tommy became suspicious and ended up going himself. immediately, upon arrival, he could see that dorothy looked paler than usual, her tanned skin having turned a cloudy grey. she was barely speaking, and instead chose to stare towards the decorated ceiling whilst he spoke at her. 

the rift caused by their infidelity had seemingly taken it's toll on both dorothy and michael, and the latter of the two was beginning to think that she did not want to see him. despite his avoidance, there was a part of his heart--deep down, but still there--that longed for her to be the first to cobtact the other; to reassure him that what they had done wasn't a mistake. when no call came, he simply assumed she wanted nothing more to do with him.

however, he hadn't seen what tommy had. he hadn't seen the way her face crumpled into a pained expression every time she tried to speak. he hadn't seen the small, blood stained handkerchief that dorothy kept by her bedside.

in the very few words she was able to mutter without wanting to cry, dorothy made tommy promise not to tell michael or george. so what he had seen in her room stayed solely between her, him, and mr. garrett. 

it took a few weeks after that before she began to feel better. and at that time, her and michael had remained without contact for almost a month. tommy had visited on multiple occasions, so had may to inform her of how little lady was getting along in training. she had always bought gifts of flowers and treats she picked up in american markets, whereas tommy's gifts consisted of alcohol.

when she finally felt well enough to move, it had occured to her that now she had to see michael. in one way, she didn't care, as she had learnt to shut out all distracting thoughts of the beautiful boy. but in many others, she couldn't keep her mind off the way he looked when he was on top of her, or reminiscing about the way he said her name in those moments. the feelings were driving her wild, and so the second she returned to the painful world, she also found herself returning to her old, cruel tendencies.

it didn't take michael long to figure out that the dorothy he knew and adored was slipping away, as the first time they were forced to meet each other again, she was seen chatting forcefully to a friend of george's, before shouting rather harshly at an incompetent maid who had made a small mistake in her task. in fact, she seemed to have adopted that demeanour all together. 

within those first few days of being around each other, dorothy had gone out of her way to ignore michael's presence--even going as far as to engage with george's work colleagues that walked in and out of the apartment to avoid having to speak to the boy. his job now was simply reduced to sitting in a chair and staring at the door incase any sign of danger emerged. 

even the time she had an attack, the first thursday of the february, she had shut herself away in the bathroom to deal with it alone, rather than by seeking comfort in the boy. michael was beginning to miss how she clung at him for help during those moments. he missed a lot of things, actually. 

it was his fault, he supposed. he had driven the woman to put up this cruel facade by his ignorance of her during a time of need. maybe his sudden companionship with george had driven her to reconcile with the man, also? maybe this was a good thing? 

if it was a good thing, then why did michael feel so rejected every dorothy chose to speak with george rather than himself?


	12. The Reconciliation

chapter 12 //

hurt. that was what michael felt. he felt hurt.

dorothy had spoken to him for the first time in a month that day, and it was only because she required him to pass a message on to tommy. he didn't intend for the simple statement to hurt him, maybe it was the fact that she neglected to call him michael and instead chose 'mr gray'. nevertheless, he was hurt. very, very, very hurt.

he was beginning to become annoyed at how dorothy had handled the situation of him avoiding her after their one-night affair, as he believed it was hardly justified for her to give him the cold-shoulder for such a long time over such a silly subject. 

overall, he thoroughly detested the way she had become. because of something stupid, she had begun to act arrogant and unkind; the complete opposite to how she had acted prior to this. and now, michael had had enough.

after prolonged eye contact between the two, dorothy awaiting michael's reply for conformation, he finally found a way to discuss his disapproval of her actions.

"no," he began, a subtle trace of dejection evident in his tone "no, i won't. i won't be your pawn when you think it is convenient, dorothy." the tanned girl opened her mouth to interject, but michael simply held his palm up towards her and continued "i simply won't stand for how you're acting. all because of what? because i didn't visit you? because i want to keep my job? because we sle-" dorothy shot him a wary look, prompting the boy to lower his volume into a snarl "because we slept together?"

"maybe it's because i thought you cared about me." she snapped coldly, glaring daggers through his head "i don't take disappointment lightly, michael."

michael's heart jumped to hear her say his name, but dropped once again at the full realisation of her words "i do care about you, dotti-dorothy. i really do!" his speech was more pleading than he initially intended, a look of longing spread across his face as he wanted nothing more than to leap across the room and kiss her to show just how much he truly did care.

"you left me with him!" she screamed suddenly, her hands flailing up slightly into the air as it finally hit michael the reason she was so upset with him. "you left me with him, and you didn't come back at all."

the gray boy's features were frozen in a look of mixed horror and sadness, him realising that the reason dorothy had shut himself away from him was because of his failure to keep his promise. he had ran away because of his fear of falling in love, which had caused her to get hurt. of course she would be angered.

"dorothy, i-"

"save it." she snapped, before a sigh left her mouth and she almost melted into her seat "it's too late to do anything now." 

michael didn't know what to reply anymore, he instead sat with his hands in his lap, silence filling the air until it was broken by the girl's soft coughing. she delicately lifted a cream handkerchief to her lips, wiping slightly, and michael took no notice of the action--taking it to be seemingly normal. dorothy shoved the piece of fabric back into the pocket of the long  night gown she wore, glancing over at michael.

as her eyes locked onto his features, her worst fear came true as she found herself once again admiring the attractiveness of his looks in the dim moonlight that shone through the window, and the single lamp on the coffee table. he was chewing down on his bottom lip, and she truly tried her hardest to ignore the small red circle that appeared around it because of pressure, but it became more difficult when his tongue swept out and lightly damped the area so that it glimmered slightly. just a mere five minutes ago, she had been wanting to throw the boy out of the apartment window, but now she was caught up in the daze of the inevitable attraction she felt towards him. 

the pang of hurt still existed in michael's chest, mixed with disappointment at himself and sadness, and he tried to distract himself by watching the moon out of the window. temptaion soon became too much, however, and his gaze was drawn towards the angelic beauty sat just metres away from him. 

"i really am sorry," he spoke quietly, standing to his feet and attempting to pretend that his voice hadn't come out as weak as it did. the closer he stepped towards dorothy, the more breathless he became, as if her presence seemed to suck any sense of reason out of him. "i really, really am, dottie."

dorothy was frozen to the spot as michael made his way towards her. she had longed for his touch for so long, that the actual prospect caused her anger to fizzle away into nothing more than a distant memory. the gray boy's steps became slower as he reached the woman, his hand automatically reaching to cup her cheek--his touch being so sudden, so unexpected that dorothy was sure he could feel her breath hitch in the back of her throat.

any feelings of annoyance either harboured towards the other were lost the second michael connected their lips, dorothy kissing back eagerly. unlike last time, which was more rushed and heated, this kiss slowly evolved, each taking their time to cherish their reconciliation, before to serenity of the moment was broken and michael lifted the girl from where she was sat, taking her place and positioning her back down on top of his lap as the night continued very similarly to that of the month before--filled with nothing other than sweet whispers of each other's lust-filled names, and craving touches that, this time, neither would regret the morning after.


	13. The Preparation

chapter 13 //

for once, very little happened in the prolonged time that followed. michael and dorothy were taking advantage of their loss of guilt, going as far as to end up sharing their bed on most days in the same sensual way both were becoming used to. there were times when they didn't see each other for a while--usually when george was off work and didn't require michael's assistance--but when they returned to each other's arms, they fit in very quickly. even michael couldn't deny that his feelings of lust were beginning to turn to something more.

however, a lot was forgotten when the racing season finally came along. dorothy had spent more time with may at her stables, along with the two horses that would compete at a large race that weekend. tommy had gone home for some time, then returned again the day before the race with michael's mother.

dorothy and polly met that morning, when tommy was stood stroking little lady's shining fur, with michael and his mother stood not too far behind. may had been adding the finishing touches to the filly's outside appearance; oiling it's hooves and combing its mane just as the barnes girl turned the corner into the well-decorated stable block.

she wore a long black dress that spread out from the waist down, complimenting her small figure and her tanned skin perfectly. her hair was tousled neatly to her jawline--she had had it cut, and she was accompanied by a younger looking woman who michael presumed was a maid. michael found his breath hitched in the bacj of his throat as he studied how the dress clung to every curve in her body, in a way you could only appreciate if you had seen what lay below the fabric. before the brunette boy had a chance to greet her, however, tommy jumped in with a large smile.

"dorothy barnes," he grinned, stepping forward to kiss her cheek "a pleasure it is to be in hour acquaintance, as always."

"the pleasure is all mine, as always." dorothy teased, handing the end of the cigarette she held to the woman next to her as she embraced tommy gently. 

michael stepped forward when his cousin retreated back to stroke the horse, wrapping his arms tightly around her figure, whispering about how wonderful she looked. naturally, she hugged back, returning the compliment to him--which was truthful as michael certainly looked to a high standard. his grey suit was neatly tailored, with a red tie that stood out amongst the other shades. for once, he was freshly shaven, and had dosed a seemingly large amount of aftershave on that caused him to smell fresh and masculine in contrast to the flowery scent dorothy gave off. 

their hug lasted for far longer than was socially acceptable in many's eyes, and all the others in the room noticed this. it was only broken when dorothy began to cough quietly, turning away from everyone and raising a hand to her mouth. as if knowing something the other's didn't, tommy stretched out a tissue to her which she accepted and used to dab gently at her mouth before shoving it discretely into her clutch.

"dorothy," michael began, taking her hand gently and allowing her to step closely to the small group of people "meet polly gray. my mother."

polly had been watching the barnes for quite some time. she had noted how michael's eyes lit up as she turned the corner, and how he was obsessively eager to greet her after tommy. what distracted her from the idea of her son finding a happy relationship, was the dazzling ring that dorothy wore on her ring finger, which only made polly wary of the trouble this woman could bring.

"pleasure." she greeted coldly, her distaste at dorothy's marrital status and involvement with her son was evident in her tone.

dorothy gave a small, concerned smile, choosing best not to speak to polly and instead turn to the boy holding her hand.

"oh michael, this is wonderful!" she exclaimed, her restricted smile suddenly expanding into a larger one as her eyes glimmered with excitement "i can't believe i'm really here!"

michael smiled at her enthusiasm, it was her first racing event after all. the ones in new york were far fancier than what occured back home, only leading michael to wonder why exactly george had hid his wife from this world for so long.

the group wished the jockey who were to ride little lady farewell and good luck, as well as the one riding colton--even though it was evident he was going to win. both the animals were led out of the stables block, ready to be paraded around before the event itself, but the group remained in the building for a little while longer as tommy and may discussed the chances of the filly placing in the race.

dorothy was just preparing to speak to michael again, when george appeared from round the corner. he wore a large grin on his face that didn't smile when he saw the others, instead only enhancing as he broke out into a jog over to his wife. he picked her up carefully, spinning the small woman around before placing her down with a kiss that she returned, despite the fact that her look of admiration for him had disappeared.

"friends!" he exclaimed happily, stepping back but keeping ahold of dorothy's hand in a way that no one that saw would have liked "how happy i am to see you! i have someone i want you to meet!"

as if on cue, a tall and broad man strolled into sight, his shoulders wide and threatening and a cold look upon his face. he had thick black hair, combed neatly back so that not one single strand was out of place, and his eyes matched the gloominess of his stature. although he seemed to need no introduction, george went to give him one--however, dorothy beat him to it with a short, sharp whimper:

"hans."


	14. The Confrontation

chapter 14 //

"dorothy barnes," the brooding man spoke, his eyes fixated on the girl's fragile figure, making michael's blood run cold as he fought the urge to launch himself at the cruel beast "what a pleasure it is to see you again."

dorothy daren't make eye contact with the man, instead staring at the wall to his side to avoid that horrible feeling that ran down her spine whenever their eyes met. michael noted how her hand had started to shake discreetly, george's grip on her waist tightening until she was stuck in the situation with no way out. 

polly had now stood up, and tommy was by michael's side. although neither knew the story, that didn't stop them from recognising the growing tension in the room. infact, it was polly that saved the situation--despite her wariness of the woman--stepping foward:

"dorothy!" she exclaimed suddenly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room "we must go and find a good spot in the indoors area of the bar, no doubt the men will stay outside."

george appeared hesitant to release his grip for a moment, but reluctantly did so and allowed dorothy to nearly rush to where polly stood, not daring to even glance at hans. polly ushered her out, may following along suit and leaving the men alone in the stable block.

to their disappointment, michael and tommy had no excuse for leaving as it was clear george expected to sit with them. they obliged eventually, following the others out into a reserved stand. michael's gaze didn't leave the back of hans' head until they took seats in the area. every time his eyes landed on the man, he felt sick to the stomach over the video playing in his mind of what he had done to the woman michael cared so deeply about.

tommy had noticed something was up with his cousin as they walked, and he too had noticed the nervous change in dorothy's demeanour when hans had entered. he made a mental note of asking about it later, but for now he was forced to go along with the friendly greetings that were being forced upon them.

"you must be thomas shelby." george spoke as they took seats "my wife has mentioned plenty about you." he shook the shelby man's hand, a condescending smile across his lips "both of you; meet hans triemar--my old business partner. hans, this is michael and thomas."

tommy shook hans' hand with a slight uncertainty, but michael simply stared at the man's outstretched palm until he was forced to retreat it with a sheepish chuckle.

hans and george engaged in a conversation of business with tomny, who kept glancing nervously over at michael. the gray boy's gaze was still fixed on the cruel man he had just met, and he didn't even flinch when waitresses moved to them to offer drinks and flaunt their over-exposed cleavage in all the men's faces--which the other three seemingly enjoyed.

meanwhile, on the other side of the grounds, may had dispersed and left polly and dorothy alone at a bar table with nothing but glasses of gin and each other for company. neither had spoken since dorothy thanked the older woman for her brief kindness in the situation prior.

polly simply stared at the barnes girl as she sipped her drink, watching out the window; or more accurately, she stared at the large and shining ring the girl wore on her finger. as a mother, the woman picked up almost instantly on the connection between her son and dorothy, and her suspicions were only confirmed when she observed how michael looked at the girl.

"you're going to get my son in trouble." polly spoke simply, causing dorothy to look over at her with a confused glance. "i'm not stupid, mrs. barnes. i know you two are fucking."

dorothy flinched at the way polly put it so harshly, she liked to have always considered as something more than simply having sex with the boy. "michael's a grown man." she replied once she gained her composure, a more challenging twinge in her tone "he can handle himself."

"maybe so," the english woman let out a cackle, yet there was no humour in the situation "but handling those two men out there? i doubt that."

"you have so little faith in your son." dorothy pushed, finishing the rest of her wine at the same time as polly did. she needed the strength alcohol gave her in order to continue such a lie she was telling "besides; my husband and his friend are incapable of harming anyone." 

dorothy knew this was a lie, and it was clear polly did too. even with the most confident of stances, the barnes girl would have never been able to convince herself into believing that fairytale. admitedly, she spent a majority of nights cowering in fear at the hands of her husband. in fact, she thought back to the first night she had met michael.

that night, when she had entered her apartment after escaping a long evening with her family, she had found a man in her living room--not living, but dead. he had a small bullet hole in his forehead, and his face was beaten from signs of an evident struggle. george's silver steel pistol was lay on the side, and dorothy had never felt as much fear as she did in that moment when a second man appeared from behind the counter, his hands going straight to her neck. earlier that week, george had warned her he had business, but promised no one would get hurt--possibly the greatest lie he had told for a while as then dorothy was forced to bludgen a man's head in with an ornament from the table side. 

"if you're so sure of that," polly exclaimed again, pulling dorothy out of her wormhole of thoughts "then how come the blood drained from your face the second that man walked into the room?"

"michael can handle himself." dorothy repeated, her voice failing her this time as ir cracked in a way that showed she didn't entirely believe her own statement--and neither did polly.

"do you love him, at least?" polly asked, catching the younger girl off guard. when she didn't reply, the woman pushed once more "well, do you?"

dorothy looked back over at polly, a new determination across her features as she gripped her empty wine glass in one hand and spoke "i do."


End file.
